Radio Icon Jerry Blavat Hosts Roots of Rhythm and Blues Show at the Kimmel Center,
December 19, 2008
Featuring Special Guests Darlene Love, Gary U.S. Bonds, Brenda Holloway, Eugene Pitt and The Jive Five, A salute to The Flamingos with former member Tommy Hunt, Kenny Vance and The Planotones, The Intruders and The Blue Notes
Philly's own radio icon Jerry Blavat hosts a nostalgic return to the Roots of Rhythm and Blues at the Kimmel Center on Sunday, January 18, 2009 at 7:30pm in Verizon Hall. An all-star line-up of special guests will perform jukebox classics from the 50s, 60s and 70s, featuring Darlene Love, recently named one of Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Singers of All Time"; Southern soul man Gary U.S. Bonds; Motown chanteuse Brenda Holloway; Eugene Pitt and The Jive Five of "My True Story" fame; Kenny Vance and The Planotones with their signature "Looking for an Echo"; and a salute to The Flamingos, renowned for their 1958 smash hit "I Only Have Eyes for You," with former member Tommy Hunt. Also making an appearance to celebrate local roots are Philadelphia-based R&B sensations The Intruders and The Blue Notes, with original member Lloyd Parks.
Party with the Geator and DJ Mark the Spark as they spin tunes from the good old days in the Commonwealth Plaza prior to and following the ticketed Jerry Blavat's Roots of Rhythm and Blues event in Verizon Hall. The 6pm party will be broadcast live on WLVT-FM 92.1.
This concert is the ninth concert in the World & Pop Series scheduled for the Kimmel Center Presents 2008-09 season. The next concert in the series will be Simon Shaheen on Sunday, February 1, 2009 at 3pm.
Tickets for Jerry Blavat's Roots of Rhythm and Blues are $41, $46, $56, $71 and $81 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply.) For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning 2.5 hours prior to curtain time and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one ticket per person.
With more than 45 years of radio experience, South Philadelphia bred "Boss with the Hot Sauce" and "Geator with the Heater" Jerry Blavat was the first DJ to play hits such as "Sherry" by the Four Seasons and "Twist and Shout" by the Isley Brothers on air in the Philadelphia region. Beginning in March 1965, Blavat produced and hosted the "Discophonic Scene" on WCAU-TV 10, featuring only live performances, including the Supremes' only Philadelphia television appearance. In 1967, WIFL-TV 6 offered Blavat a daily show called "Jerry's Place," which was eventually syndicated coast-to-coast in 42 markets. Blavat began hosting "On the Air with the Geator" in 1992 and "Backstage with Jerry Blavat" in 1997. In 1998, he was one of the radio greats inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Since then, Blavat has appeared on the PBS fundraising events "DooWop 50" and "DooWop 51."
Darlene Love began her musical career with "girl group" The Blossoms in 1958, and went on to work with many legends of 1950's and 60's rock and soul, including Dionne Warwick, The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, and Sonny and Cher. Under her own name, Love recorded several chart-topping singles including "Wait Til My Bobby Gets Home" and "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Going To Marry," as well as two solo albums. Love sang back-up for Dionne Warwick for 10 years beginning in 1971 and later backed Aretha Franklin. During the 1990's, Love performed weekly in Portrait of a Singer, a show based on her career, at New York City's Bottom Line Club. Love was awarded the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award in 1995. She has performed "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on the Late Show with David Letterman annually since 1986.
Gary U.S. Bonds' first hit, "New Orleans," skyrocketed the singer-songwriter to fame in the 1960's. The follow-up, "Quarter to Three," became a #1 hit and a legendary party record, later appearing on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list. Since then, Bonds co-wrote and recorded a slew of top 40 hits, including "School Is Out," "School Is In" and "Dear Lady Twist." Later hits included "This Little Girl," "Jolé Blon" and "Out Of Work." In a 1963 tour of Europe, he headlined above The Beatles. Bonds collaborated with such artists as Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt and the E Street Band in the early 1980's. In 1997, Bonds was awarded the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award. His first studio album in 20 years, Back in 20 (2004), featured appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Dickey Betts, Southside Johnny and Phoebe Snow.
Motown-style R&B vocalist Brenda Holloway is best known for the soulful hits "You've Made Me So Very Happy" and "Every Little Bit Hurts." Released in May of 1964, "Every Little Bit Hurts" became a smash hit for Holloway, reaching #13 on the Billboard Top 100 and helping to win the singer a concert spot on Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars tour. Holloway became a fixture on several 1960's television shows including Shindig!, and later was asked by The Beatles to open for them on their U.S. tour in 1965. Other chart-topping hits include "I Will Always Love You" and "When I'm Gone." Her albums include Every Little Bit Hurts (1964), The Artistry of Brenda Holloway (1968), Brand New (1980) and It's a Woman's World (1999), among others. Most recently, Holloway released The Motown Anthology in 2005 and Brenda Holloway: The Hits in 2006.
Brooklyn-based Eugene Pitt and The Jive Five is considered one of the few groups to make a successful transition from doo wop to the 60's soul era. The group found success in 1961 with "My True Story" on Belltone Records, which reached #3 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart and #1 on the R&B chart. Other hits include "I'm a Happy Man," "What Time is It," "Sugar (Don't Take Away My Candy)" and "I Want You to Be My Baby." The Jive Five is also responsible for the signature sound of the American kids' television network Nickelodeon, writing and recording memorable jingles with the catch phrase "Nic-Nic-Nic" that are still heard worldwide everyday. The group performed on the PBS special Doo Wop 50 in 1999.
Pittsburgh native Tommy Hunt gained international renown with The Flamingos for their 1958 hit "I Only Have Eyes for You." A long series of hits followed, including "Mio Amore," "Your Other Love," "Nobody Loves Me Like You" and "I Was Such a Fool." The Flamingos received the Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award in 1996 and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Doo-Wop Hall of Fame in 2004 for their 30-year outstanding contribution to music. In 2003, The Flamingos recording of "I Only Have Eyes for You" was inducted into the Grammy® Award Hall of Fame.
Kenny Vance began his musical career as one of the founding members of Jay and The Americans, the band that had the distinction of opening for The Beatles and The Rolling Stones for each of their first U.S. performances. He went on to compose, supervise and produce a long list of scores and soundtracks for television and feature films, including the 1978 film American Hot Wax, for which the band The Planotones was created. Although originally formed solely to recreate the musical lives of groups in the 50s and 60s for the film, The Planotones reunited in 1992. Since then, the band has emerged as an influential post Doo-Wop era ensemble that breathes new life into classic hits with folk and jazz influences. In 2002, Vance was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame; in 2007, he was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.
The Blue Notes—in its various incarnations—is one of the dynamic groups that came out of Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff's Sound of Philadelphia family. The group signed to Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International label in 1972, and scored several major R&B hits over the next four years. Among The Blue Notes' most important and successful recordings are love songs such as their breakout single "If You Don't Know Me By Now" (1972), "I Miss You" (1972), "The Love I Lost" (1973) and "Don't Leave Me This Way" (1975). The Blue Notes are arguably the most-covered Philly soul group in history; many of their hits have been re-recorded by other artists, including Simply Red, David Ruffin, Jimmy Somerville and Sybil.
Formed in Philadelphia in 1960, The Intruders consisted of Eugene 'Bird' Daughtry, Phil Terry, Robert 'Big Sonny' Edwards, Samuel 'Little Sonny' Brown, and, later Bobby Starr. Originally performing as a Doo-Wop outfit in 1960, the group signed with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff in 1966 and achieved instant success with the Top 20 R&B hit "(We'll Be) United." One year later, they charted again with the song "Together," from the album The Intruders Are Together. By 1968, the group achieved their first major crossover hit with the Gamble & Huff composition “Cowboys To Girls,” hitting the pop charts at #6. This success was followed up by another Top 40 hit entitled "(Love Is Like A) Baseball Game." Later hits included "(Win Place Or Show) She's A Winner," "I'll Always Love My Mama" and "I Wanna Know Your Name."
Kimmel Center Presents' 2008/2009 Season is sponsored by Citi. The Great Orchestra Series is supported by 10 Rittenhouse Square. Additional support is provided by the University of Pennsylvania Health System, American Express, and Interpark. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. NBC-10 is a media partner for Kimmel Center Presents.
Free in the Plaza programming and subsidized tickets offered to the community and social service groups for $10 are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program, supported by a generous grant from the Wachovia Foundation.
The Kimmel Center is the recipient of partnership funding through the nationally recognized PNC "Grow Up Great" initiative, a ten-year, $100 million investment in preparing children for success in school and life. Funding gives support to the Kimmel Center's early childhood program "Bop and Swing," an arts program for children 1-5 years old, designed to promote an appreciation for American culture.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS SPONSORED BY CITI
Sunday, January 18, 2009 | 7:30pm
Verizon Hall
World & Pop Series
Jerry Blavat's Roots of Rhythm and Blues
Darlene Love
Gary U.S. Bonds
Brenda Holloway
Eugene Pitt and The Jive Five
A salute to The Flamingos with former member Tommy Hunt
Kenny Vance and The Planotones
The Intruders
The Blue Notes
FREE AT THE KIMMEL:
Sunday, January 18, 2009 | 6pm and 11pm
Commonwealth Plaza | Free at the Kimmel
Geator Dance Party with DJ Mark the Spark
Party with the Geator and DJ Mark the Spark as they spin tunes from the good old days in the Commonwealth Plaza prior to and following the ticketed Jerry Blavat's Roots of Rhythm and Blues event in Verizon Hall. The 6pm party will be broadcast live on WLVT-FM 92.1.
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